Ministry of Defence contracts watchdog calls for extra clout to tackle "market abuse"

Prof John Louth, a director at the Royal United Services Institute told CSW there was a case in favour of increasing the SSRO’s powers and – potentially – for relocating it to the Cabinet Office or the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to reinforce its independence. He added that the calls for increased powers were seen as a safeguard for the future, rather than a reflection of current problems that were not being dealt with. “They’re not saying there’s a huge contracting problem; they’re saying there is an increasingly complex picture and that if they can sort out the rules early on, that would be better than having to respond to issues as they emerge,” he said.